Champ

Champ, written by the talented playwright Louis Viljoen.

The original text

Three actors, scraping the bottom of the barrel while working as children entertainers in a mall, find themselves struggling to hold on to their jobs and what little dignity they have left when they encounter a vicious child hell-bent on making their day worse than it already is. Through a combination of exhaustion, wounded pride, middle-class disaffection and a little too much alcohol early in the day, they enter into a battle with the mischievous and dastardly little boy and set in motion a series of events that will not necessarily change their lives, but perhaps make the day a little more interesting. Due to explicit and graphic language Champ carries a strict no under 18 age restriction.

The play has been awarded the 2012 Fleur du Cap Theatre Award for Best New South African Script. It was nominated in two additional categories - the Rosalie van der Gucht Prize for New Directors (Greg Karvellas), and Best Supporting Actor (Adam Neill).

Performance history in South Africa

2012: Artscape in 2012 as part of the New Writing Season

2013: Presented by Artscape and the Fugard Theatre, and directed by Greg Karvellas, Louis Viljoen’s wicked new play Champ will be re-staged at the Fugard Studio after an initial successful season at Artscape in 2012 as part of the New Writing Season. Champ stars Mark Elderkin (Skeem), Nick Pauling (Waiting for the Barbarians), Pierre Malherbe (Not Another Friggin' Tribute Show) and Jenny Stead (Cardenio) and introduces Oliver Booth, a recent UCT Graduate.

Sources

Fugard Theatre newsletter, March 2013.

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